Just as the title of the site indicates, Performer Stuff is about, well, stuff for performers. The website includes tens of thousands of songs for musical theatre actors to audition with, and a huge (and growing) number of monologues perfect for any audition (you can find my monologues there too--lots more that aren't even on my own website yet, in fact)...
Read MoreOkay, using the word "shrew" makes my 21st Century self cringe for some reason. Other than the mouse-like mammal, a shrew is defined as "a bad-tempered or aggressively assertive woman" which is certainly not most women, and certainly not just women who don't want to get married. But Shakespeare used it, and so do I. Is Katherina a shrew? Is female-Petruchio a shrew? Well, now you can judge for yourself in a month or so...
Read MoreSo I was one of those kids. One of those kids who made a “carnival” with my brothers in our yard for the neighborhood to participate in (we’re talking carnival games, scheduled shows of magic, puppetry and science, and winning prizes from Oriental Trading and guppies from my parents’ fish tank)....
Read MoreHappy Leap Day! What magical adventure have you had today on this bonus day of the year? Ladies, have you asked someone to marry you on Feb 29 (you'll have a long marriage!)? Have you seen Leap Day Williams hovering around the waters (30-Rock style)? Have you buried a coin near a rainbow's end waiting for its pay-off on St. Patrick's Day? Have you...checked out a new play written by Tara Meddaugh?...
Read MoreHow many of us were blown away by Lee Harper's To Kill A Mockingbird in our very young school lives? Oh my gosh--I loved that book. I even just loved saying the words "Boo Radley." It has probably been a few decades since I read it, and after recently hearing Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network, The West Wing) is writing a stage adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird, I put a good re-read of this classic on my "to do" list...
Read MorePeople have asked me before how I see theatre standing up to the next generation filled with such a high focus on technology, social media sans face-to-face connections, and a lack of interest in the arts. There are challenges, to be sure. There always have been, and there always will be. Theatre is not an easy medium...
Read MoreI recently had the pleasure to e-meet the winner of my Christmas Superpowers and Believing in Blitzen Monologue Contest, and this is one talented young actor! Ryan Henzi is from Ankeny, Iowa; he's 10 years old and he's been acting for years already! Now you can get to know this budding young actor too, and take a look at his great video performance of "Shepherd Superheroes."...
Read MoreEveryone can probably give you their favorite Christmas movies, and I definitely love a lot of the classics, like Miracle on 34th Street (with Elizabeth Perkins), Rudolf, Elf, A Christmas Carol (Muppet version of course), It's a Wonderful Life, National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, The Santa Clause, Love Actually. But there are some that don't get as much attention, and maybe deserve some exploration. So here are three of this playwright's top films that you might not have heard of, but are worth a watch....
Read MoreOkay, so as much as I love theatre, obviously--I also make time for good theater, as in, the ole fashioned moving pictures kind. And if you can throw in a novelty space for watching those moving pictures...? I mean, come on, how can a geek like me say no? ...
Read MoreAh, that's the beauty of the expansive world wide web, right? Now for those in the upper generations who still remember what it was like before the internet made everything readily available, it's still kind of a novelty that we can reach so many people via the web...
Read MoreThere is a plethora of new work being produced in New York City, and you'll run into some pretty bad shows, but it's wonderful when you find a true gem in the midst. While I have not yet seen this show (it opens tonight), I have a good feeling that this is one of those precious stones among the pebbles. Why? Well, for one...
Read MoreIf you're an artist between the ages of 15-18 (10-12 grade), you can considering applying to the National YoungArts Foundation. Applications are accepted in a variety of fields, including cinematic arts, classical music, and writing (to name a few) and you can find the application here (be aware, unfortunately, there is a $35 application fee, but you can get it waived). So what is the National YoungArts Foundation? Well, in their own words...
Read MoreWho does not have a special place in their hearts for a Julie Andrews movie? If you don't know Mary Poppins or the Sound of Music, you must, and I mean, must, watch these movies, if for no other reason than to be able to experience a truly large movie of its day (but there are really enough other reasons to check it out). Her career didn't stop there though...
Read MoreWe all have exposure to actors on the big and small screen, and many of us have the joy to experience drama from stage actors in theatre. But while we do know some of the voices behind animated characters, we don't as often think of the good ole fashioned radio actors anymore. This is no surprise since radio drama has mostly been usurped by television and film. And believe me, I love a good movie (just saw The Double, which I raved about in a previous post), but there is something quite unique about radio drama. And I personally have a very soft spot for it.
Read MoreThere are certain movies that just stand out to you. Certain ones that speak to you, excite you, energize you. Maybe they feel relevant to something you're going through at the time, maybe they remind you of something you love, maybe they keep you on your toes and your adrenaline goes through the roof, maybe they just make you laugh really hard. But we all have those 5-star-netflix worthy movies...
Read MoreSo I have always loved to read out loud. Even as a very young child, alone in my bedroom, I'd read anything from chapters in children's novels to sections of American history out loud for my own entertainment...
Read MoreThe Beanstalk monologue, featuring Jack of fairytale fame, has been used all over the world, by theatres, at universities, in high schools and middle schools, contests, festivals, and of course for actors' auditions. Below, an instructor in Australia, analyzes this monologue in terms of structure, tense usage, punctuation, and sentence construction:
Read MoreSo as most of you probably know, playwrights do not make a lot of money living off of their creative words. And as most of you probably know, artists don't enter the artistic field in pursuit of money. There are various reasons, but most people enter their artistic field because it is what they do. What they can't stop doing. You paint because you must paint. You write because you must write. You create because you must create. It's what we do....Still.
Read MoreI love language. And not just speaking it, or using it (although I love both of those), but also in dissecting it, analyzing it, trending on it. I remember very clearly learning how to use double and single quotation marks, along with indenting for dialogue when I was 7 years old. When I was 11, I soaked up the unit on Grammar when everyone else was wishing it would end.
Read MoreI recently heard an interview on Studio 360 with playwright, Julie Jordan, who spoke on the realities of the age-old cliche of the "casting couch" (originating with the idea that one must sleep with someone to land a role, although now the phrase is used more generally, for anyone performing sexual favors to advance in a career). She is calling for Actors Equity to tighten its policies and procedures on harassment, and further, bring more awareness to this issue that is often glossed over in theatre.
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